A fox will always be a fox
by Joel P
Summary: Since Nicholas Wilde joined the ZPD, he is a new animal. He left his old life and became better because of Judy, who showed him that he could be more than an untrustworthy fox. But, lately, he has been acting weird, sometimes even dissapearing under the pretext of a mission he cannot speak about. When his image falls to pieces, a question is raised: "Was everything a hustle?"
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I developed a small liking (or a filthy obsession) to fanfiction. After watching Zootopia once, I thought it was a damn fine movie, but, a couple of months later, after watching it twice, I needed more. And, oh, I got lots more. First there were some comics, then a couple of stories and finally, writing one myself. I was supossed to work my fingers to the bone studying and here I am!**

 **Anyway, I have to warn everybody who wants to read this about two things. First things first, this is my first fanfic ever, also the first time I share anything with an Internet community, so... I am kinda nervous. I will greatly appreciate every advice, compliment or suggestion you could give me (although in that last case, I have the whole story planned so if it is about a huge change it will probably not come to the plot. At least, in _this_ story). Second warning, as you may be guessing (but i hope not) I am not from an anglophone country, so I write everything in my mother tongue and then I have to translate. This is a slow process, especially when I am supossed to be studying, he. I am trying to check the texts thoroughly, but it is probable that I make a mistake. If you see one, please tell me to correct it as soon as possible and not make it again.**

 **Also, I do not own Zootopia. But I do own a toothbrush, yay!**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 1_**

The day had started perfectly. A light breakfast consisted of a blueberry muffin and a small cup of black coffee; as well as three knocks at the door, were his daily routine, but he doubted that he would ever grew tired of it. He opened the door with his cup of coffee still in his hand, and the absolutely not surprising figure of Judy Hopps welcomed him to a new day with a huge smile that quickly faded.

"Still having breakfast? We are going to arrive late at the station, Nick! Are you a fox or a sloth?"

"Oh, come on, Carrots," answered Nick sipping his coffee. "We haven't been late for work for the last six months, there is no problem if we want to take it easy for once. Plus, that was speciesist."

"Five minutes and we leave, Nick!"

Maybe six months had already passed since Nick joined the ZPD, but the same situation has repeated itself over and over. And, well, neither of them wanted it any other way, but sometimes Nick wished he could live farther from his friend just to be five minutes longer in bed, but he truly loved to live only two blocks away of Judy's apartment. Anyway, this was merely a brief thought, as he was delighted to live so close to her.

Their conversation continued during the way to the station and the rest of the morning. None of them would admit it, but they weren't annoyed by parking duty anymore as long as they were together.

It was a peaceful day, and they didn't complain about it at all. The strange glances were constant since the Night Howler's case, whether it was because of their shared fame or the mere fact of the presence of the interspecies duo, but it was nothing they were used to. They both felt happy when they went back to the headquarters. Spending time together had become their favorite part of the day and, luckily, that was what they did for the most of it.

Nevertheless, this had changed lately. For a couple of months, Nick had been disappearing more and more frequently, and he refused categorically to answer any of Judy's inquiries, saying that Chief Bogo had some secret tasks for him and he promised not to tell anyone about them. Curiosity quickly turned into obsession over time. Nick simply didn't attend to some assignments and Bogo didn't ask about him. In fact, on one of those occasions, she asked the Chief personally and he had replied that the fox had one of his days off, but the bunny wasn't satisfied with that way of avoiding a question.

Uncertainty was consuming her, but she had stopped asking, even though, little by little, she started to notice small changes in her partner. He was neglecting himself more and more. His uniform was creased. Dark circles were appearing under his eyes. The most surprising thing was that, from time to time, he came to the job without his tie, and he usually wouldn't notice until several hours later. Actually, even Bogo was strange. He started to yell a lot more, and the difference was minuscule, but he was clearly nervous nonetheless. Every now and then, Bogo would call Nick to his office and they would spend a lot of time talking, usually more than half an hour, although his friend always claimed that he had only been reprimanded for being late again. But when Judy was with him, he remained as charming and amusing as always, so the bunny plainly ceased querying him about it, knowing that, when the moment arrived, the fox would explain it to her.

"Take it easy, Carrots, or I will have to fine you for thinking too much."

His partner's sentence suddenly interrupted her train of thought. She turned to the right only to face Nick carrying two cups of coffee.

"You are daydreaming heavily today, don't you? Anyway," said the vulpine handing her a cup, "I guess that you cannot see someone as exuberantly beautiful as me every day." He scratched his chin, thinking. "Oh, wait! You can! Lucky you…"

"Sorry, I was just distracted," answered Judy sipping her coffee without paying attention.

Nick looked at her harshly.

"It was about my personal tasks, right?" He sighed, his glare becoming more serious. "Look, Carrots, it will end soon, just… Just be patient, ok?" His smile, that smile that his sly partner saved only for her, appeared briefly. "I promise you that if this happens the other way round, I will be about a twenty per cent less concerned than you. Deal?"

Judy shook his paw slightly, but she did not smile. In fact, she was now even more worried, almost scared. His smile was genuine, but his eyes… She had just seen that look once, right before Bellwether shot him with the blueberries, when he was not sure if everything would turn out well. A look that wanted to say "everything will be fine", but cried "I am terrified". Definitely, tonight they would talk about this.

"Hey, Nick, tomorrow we have a day off—since Bogo has been so insistent on it—so why don't we hang out tonight to the cinema or maybe to have dinner?"

They were already in front of the police station, and Nick made a theatrical gesture of surprise.

"Wow, officer Hopps! How daring, trying to arrange a date with me in our own workplace, where anyone could hear it a—"

"I will take that as a yes, dumb fox."

She blushed, but laughed nonetheless, and chose to play along.

"And I will be even bolder if I have to, my dear maiden! My only quest and goal is to captivate you and snatch you away, taking your paw in sacred marriage, stealing you from your terrible guardian…" she kissed his paw, and whispered, "Chief Bogo…"

They looked at each other for a second before bursting into laughter and entering the police department, where Clawhauser contemplated them with his head between his paws and an entranced smile.

"How can you two be so adorable!" effused with a soft shriek that he immediately cut off as soon as Bogo appeared in there and stared at them.

Nick and Judy blushed when Clawhauser spoke and stopped laughing. She knew they were joking, however, her beating had sped up. Actually, lately she blushed easily when Nick joked about flirting, but she was not annoyed by it.

She wondered if he had been feeling the same way. The bunny still remembered an occasion three months ago, when they had partnered with McHorn to take down a group of drug dealers and the fox had taken a bullet when he pushed his fellow officer away of the projectile's trajectory. He was hospitalized for nearly two weeks, and Judy spent more time with him than at home.

The first days were the harder, since she missed him more than what she was willing to admit, and got really sensitive. Until his diagnose came out just a couple hours after he was wounded and it came to the conclusion that his life was not in danger at all, she was invaded by such a huge dread that was not able to move from the hospital's hallway or even speak. The mere thought of losing her best friend and partner, the one she could trust with her life… It was devastating. Among tears, she scolded him for doing something so stupid, even when she knew that, if he had not acted like that McHorn would probably have died.

She had questioned herself a lot about that time, and simply concluded that she acted like that because he was her best friend. Still, she knew there was something more, but—

"Hopps!"

Bogo's voice interrupted her thinking, and she realized that she had not listened to anything her Chief had told them. Clawhauser was typing as quietly as he could, the buffalo's grimace showing extreme disapproval.

"Hopps, I told you to go home, you have finished for today. And you, Wilde," he turned to her partner, "to my office."

"Yes, sir."

Nick's answer shocked Judy. From the first day, he never talked to the Chief without a joke or a friendly taunt. Ever. Clawhauser was as dumbfounded as her, almost even scared. He should have noticed that Nick was acting weird lately too. Something was wrong.

The bunny and the cheetah look at each other, puzzled eyes in both of their faces. Bogo and Nick went to the Chief's office without looking back and closed the door. Usually, when Nick entered that room, they first thing everyone could hear before screams was the door being slammed. Instead of that, it was closed delicately, with a brief and quiet *click*. Something was clearly wrong, very wrong.

* * *

 **Well, that was the first chapter.** **My plan is to make next ones longer, but I think this is right for an introduction. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I finished translating this today and, since the first chapter was just an introduction, I think I have to post something _relevant_. Hope you like it! Also, thanks RavenAndTheWolf for your kind review! Also, I do not own Zootopia. _Yet._**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

Of everything she had planned to do once she was a cop, trying to eavesdrop on a conversation between her boss and her partner certainly was not on the list. Judy and Clawhauser, being as stealthy as they could, were now waiting in front of Bogo's office door, looking for answers, as they both were worried. Unfortunately, for the time being, it was no more than a wild-goose chase.

"I cannot hear them…" whispered the cheetah ensconcing on the floor, trying to find the perfect posture to be attentive and comfortable at the same time. "What about you, Judy? You do have a better sense of hearing than me."

Judy was not so sure about that statement, cheetahs have a very keen sense of hearing as well, but she just turned to him looking frustrated.

"Not at all, they are speaking too low."

After like five minutes there, when both unsuccessful spies were almost going to withdraw, Nick's voice rose loud and menacing.

"NO!" he yelled at Bogo with all his strength, completely letting his fury to take control of his words. "I will not do it! You have already been playing enough with me and—!"

"WILDE!" Bogo's reply was not dominated by anger, just pure authority. "I can take you right now if you do not collaborate, but I am giving you an opportunity to tie any loose ends you could have! So shut up and listen!"

The conversation returned to a lower volume, and it became again impossible to hear anything. Clawhauser and Judy looked at each other in shock. Nick had never lost his temper like that, and the Chief had never been disrespected so hard, much less with such a vehemence. They got audible again, but they did not shout this time.

"This is a terrible idea, and you know it," said Nick with a tone that exuded poison, "and you will regret it, I am sure of it."

Was that a threat? For those who were listening on the sly, it surely sounded like one.

"Okay, Wilde, it is a deal. You have five hours, but I expect complete cooperation and dedication. Consider this time a personal favor for your assistance in the Nighthowlers case, even when you were forced to it."

When a noise that showed two chairs moving appeared, both Clawhauser and Judy fled from the place quickly. At the moment Nick and Bogo arrived at the reception desk, they just saw two friends involved in a spirited discussion about Gazelle new album. Without looking back, Nick walked to the main entrance taking Judy's paw. She would have blushed at some other time, but now she just glanced at her partner with concern.

"You know, Carrots?" said the fox not turning to her, "I think I will accept your previous offer about having dinner tonight. We have to make good use of your day off, After all, who knows when we will be able to hang out again."

Bitterness was patent in his voice. They did not speak in Nick's old car while he drove to her house—and his, which was, as stated before, two blocks away—to get changed into something more appropriate. Her tries to initiate a conversation were deflected by him, and silence again was their companion while they headed to a restaurant of his choice. The place surprised Judy, since it was vastly more luxurious and expensive than she had expected, even when Nick told her to wear something elegant with a serious smirk. She did not understand why going to that restaurant for a simple meal after work. Maybe she would have asked some other time, but not that night. When they reached the main entrance it was about 10:30 PM, and for the third time that day, a dreadful foreboding went through officer Hopps' mind: something was terribly wrong.

* * *

And there they were. Nick and Judy, facing each other. He was wearing a dark blue suit without a tie, while she was clothed in a more casual dress, which was not helping to fit in the lavish atmosphere, but they were not attracting as much attention as she thought. Judy believed that they would not be able to go inside, since the place seemed really popular and exclusive, but as soon as the guards saw him they let them in without further interrogation. They even were going to have dinner in the VIP room! When she questioned him about it, the fox simply told her that they owed him a lot since he literally saved the restaurant from bankruptcy, but did not tell more.

The room was big, placed in a third floor, and the views were amazing for such a height. There were only five of the twenty tables occupied, and a duo of an otter and a sheep were playing violin and cello respectively, performing a series of relaxing compositions. But the key element, the essential factor that made the situation so warm and comfortable was the happiness that Judy felt every time her partner and friend joked or smiled. Finally, he was being himself, and she could not be gladder.

"At the expense of taking advantage of a rabbit stereotype, the caramelized carrot risotto is highly recommended," advised Nick with a sly grin, "`Capable of converting a convinced carnivore into a pure vegetarian in just a bite.' Those were the exact words if I am not mistaken."

Judy let out an amused laugh.

"Do you volunteer as a guinea pig, then?"

"Nah, I am a pretty damn fine fox, so I have no need to become another animal. Also, every burger stand in the city that does not have a vegetarian burger would cry over my absence, and I am not that cruel." replied him smiling brightly at the very moment the waiter arrived at their table. He was a leopard with pale grey fur, and looked directly at Nick with a joyful expression before starting to talk animatedly.

"Hey, Nick, you sure come here hardly ever for someone with a full free VIP pass!" he blinked suggestively in Judy's direction. "And never with a lady! Much less with such a beauty…" he winked at Nick.

Before any of them answered he regained his serious composure and made a polite bow.

"Goodnight to both of you, lovely lady and handsome gentleman. My name is Ambrose and I will be your waiter tonight. Just tell whatever you need to make this dinner unforgettably. It is a pleasure for me and the whole restaurant to have Zootopia's heroes among us, and it fills us with pride that you have chosen our humble establishment for your couple's dinner." he made a pause after his little speech, smiling widely at both of them. "Are you ready to order? I would recommend the risotto, but this smart gentleman has praised it enough."

Judy blushed when they were mistook for a couple, but she did not have the chance to correct him since Nick spoke before.

"I will have the… Uh… Pompano en Papillote, did I pronounce it correctly? And the beautiful young lady will indeed have the caramelized carrot risotto," he stopped talking for a second, but soon remembered something. "Oh, and bring us a bottle of wine! Rosé, I was thinking about a Château la Fur-Pétrus. I entrust you with choosing its age, Ambrose."

When the waiter went away, Judy finally talked to Nick.

"Nick… He called us `couple'… "

"Yeah, and?" replied the fox, diverted.

"Well, you did not correct him," her face turned even redder than before, embarrassed. "And you called me `beautiful young lady'."

Nick's lips were crossed by a smile and, to her surprise, he placed his paw on hers gently, what made her cheeks turn intense crimson, threatening to blow up.

"Judy, forget about everything. About work, about other mammals and the whole world if it is necessary, just for tonight. Until we stand up from this table, it is me and you."

At that moment, saying that Judy was ashamed of the situation would be putting it mildly. Her face looked like it was about to explode, her throat was sore and she was afraid of passing out any minute now. "Why has this damned fox to be so charming and handsome? A-And, why am I thinking about him like that?" She was not really against him paying so much attention to her, and the truth was that his paw on hers was providing her fur a truly pleasant feeling, but…

"Stop, Judy, enough!" she scolded herself. "He is your friend, probably he is just joking. But, maybe he is not? Oh, cheese and crackers, how much time have I been gawking at him? Five, ten minutes? Why is he staring at me with that look in his green eyes, his beautiful, green eyes…? Stop!"

" _O-O_ kay," she finally answered feeling her tongue furry.

"Thanks, Carrots," his smile took Judy's breath away again. "Oh, look, here is our food! I hope you enjoy it."

With a soft voice, the waiter wished them to enjoy their dinner and disappeared. Both diners agree that everything was delicious, and Nick was not able to find any reason to not confirm that Ambrose had chosen the bottle of wine perfectly.

* * *

The night ran smoothly with the atmosphere turning more and more relaxed, swapping stories and jokes constantly. The bunny had a noticeable blush due to the wine, even when the bottle was shared fifty-fifty between them, she could not hold her drink as much as him, which had led to some lack of inhibition.

"I am happy about hanging out tonight with you, Nick, I am really having fun," said Judy with an amused laugh. "Who would have guessed that you could be so well-mannered and nice in a place like this?"

"Oh, I am hurt, Fluff," replied Nick with a huge smile. "I supposed that you were bewitched by my charms, and at the end you still were thinking of me as a rude hustler."

He sighed, his outraged aristocrat impression fading. He seemed nervous, and Judy wondered if he had taken her joke seriously. She hurried to apologize, but Nick interrupted her.

"Actually, Judy, I wanted to tell you something. And ask you for a favor," his glance was completely steady. "Things are going to be… Tricky."

"Nick, what are you ta—? "

"Shhh, listen to me, please," he took her paw again, gently, "I trust you, Judy, more than I have ever trusted anyone. You are brave, clever and you have a purer and more generous heart than I can even think about. I would give you my life for you gladly without second-guessing. And that is why I want to ask you to trust me."

Nick looked at his watch, worried. 2:15, they were about to come.

"For the next weeks, or who knows how much, things are going to happen. You are going to hear stuff about me, and I am sure that none of them will be nice," Judy was surprised and scared at this point, filled by doubt. "May God forgive me, but this city is going to become a freaking chaos. _A-A_ nd I want…" he bit his tongue and rephrased his request," I _need_ you to trust me, to believe in me. And I want you to know that I am doing all of this for you. I have enjoyed this night, but I fear that this one is our last one. Or, at least, _my_ last one. I am sorry about everything I have done wrong and I am thankful to you for being the best partner and friend that I could have ever imagined."

The fox stood up and saluted her.

"I am honored to be called `your partner', officer Judy Hopps. But now," he dropped the serious attitude and grinned sadly, "I have to go to the toilet. I like to be smartly dressed when problems come."

"Nick, wait, what—?"

The fox headed to the bathroom without looking back. Judy did not understand anything. In what kind of trouble had that dumb fox got into to behave that way? She was terrified, her friend had spoken as if he was going to be executed. She waited for ten minutes, lost in her thought, but when she decided to go confront him, a slam shattered the restaurant.

* * *

As soon as Nick entered the bathroom, he made sure that he was alone. After splashing cold water on his face to calm down, he took his phone out. It was now or never, it was the very moment in which all his efforts were going to pay off. His nerves were all on edge when he dialed a number with trembling fingers and waited. The one who answered had a deep growly voice, with an intimidating hint, but also a worried accent.

"Now?"

"Yes, Bogo received it some hours ago, right after you sent it," said the fox, and then chuckled. "I convinced him to give me a last night under surveillance with Judy to apologize because I helped with the Nighthowlers case. He did not expect me to deceive her."

"Good. Well done, Nicholas. I will begin the preparations. Do you remember the plan perfectly, don't you?"

"Yes, I will play my part."

"Excellent," the voice sounded satisfied, "I am proud of you, Nicholas."

Next to that, the person who Nick was speaking to hung up, and he walked to the sink. He looked at the mirror and his reflection stared back at him. He seemed tired. But it was the moment, he could not doubt anymore, he could not fear or regret anything, he had to act. And then, he hit his phone against the sink one, two, three times. He continued for a while, until the device was nothing more than a bunch of pieces. Nick searched among them until he found the SD and the SIM cards, scolding himself for not removing them before. Then, he proceeded to crack them in even smaller pieces. Finally, he took as many of them as he could, threw them down the toilet and pulled the chain, watching them disappear.

A huge slam was heard, so the fox caught his breath and walked out of the bathroom with a confident smile. It was the moment. Soon, Zootopia would shake to the ground.

* * *

The situation in the restaurant was tense. When about a dozen of police officers, including the Chief of the ZPD, everyone got rooted to the floor and the musicians stopped playing. Judy, with her confusion growing more and more, was not able to speak when Bogo approached her.

"Hopps!" his voice was filled with wrath, "Where is Wilde!?"

The bunny was barely able to point the men's restroom, when Nick got out of it keeping his hands in his pockets. Every tranquilizer gun in the VIP room aimed at him.

"Wow, Chief, I did not expect that you would bring your whole entourage just to pick me up. I am flattered," greeted the fox with a smug smile.

"Put your hands up, Wilde!" was the only response from Bogo.

"On what charges?"

"Don't you know them already? Alright. Nicholas Piberius Wilde, you are arrested for treason, espionage, perverting the course of justice and unlawful assembly!"

"You left out misfeasance," pointed out the fox grinning.

"Now put your hands up!"

Nick laughed mockingly and shrugged.

"No, thanks. I prefer that you shoot me so I will not have to endure a lecture."

Judy wondered why he was acting like that, no, even worse, what he had done to get most of the heavy hitters to show up.

"This is my last warning, Wilde!"

He just answered with an obscene gesture and Bogo, true to his word, shot. The buffalo stuck the dart in his neck who collapsed on the floor, sinking into a deep sleep. McHorn hurried to pawcuff him. The fox joined the incoming darkness eagerly, wanting to erase an image that remained in his mind: Judy, looking at him surprised, scared and, at the end, betrayed.

When his conscience faded, he was thankful.

* * *

 **Aaaaaand, that's it. Things are getting bad for our fox friend, huh?**

 **Thanks for reading, I will try to translate chapter 3 as soon as my exams allow me to! Stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Chapter 3_**

 _...traitor…_

… _all lies…_

… _typical of a fox…_

On her bed, Judy could still hear every single insult her partners had said to Nick. She was petrified, unable to speak while Fangmeyer took her home with the police car. She could not believe it yet, it had to be a prank and Nick was about to come out from under her bed with a video camera yelling: "You should have seen your face, Carrots!"

But it didn't happen.

Fangmeyer was irate. The white wolf was almost as hurt as Judy, since he and Nick were friends. Once, shortly after the fox joined the police force, Fangmeyer tagged along with her and Nick to look for an arsonist who had set five buildings on fire in that week, and after an exhaustive investigation the three of them drove the criminal into a corner and captured him. However, Fangmeyer was knocked out and the arsonist managed to light a fire inside the building, shutting the unconscious wolf up.

She remembered trying to get into that place to rescue him and Nick stopping her, and then… He pawcuffed her to a street lamp, just like they did before to the criminal, and smiled just before entering the building engulfed in flames. She tried to flee herself, but she couldn't. That damn fox was going to kill himself. One minute passed, two, five, ten. The firefighters arrived and started to put the fire out, and the backup the Judy requested finally appeared.

And then, two bodies flashed past a low window, jumping to the floor. The firefighters reacted quickly, trying to soften the blow, and a fox and a white wolf, covered in ash and coughing like crazy, saved their lives. The doctors at the hospital said that it was a miracle that Nick didn't faint due to heat exhaustion and the huge amount of smoke in his lungs. Actually, even Fangmeyes was in better shape than him since the room where he fell unconscious took a long time to be filled with smoke.

After that, the white wolf, who didn't trust Nick at the beginning, visited him during his recovery as much as the rabbit and helped him to befriend the rest of the officers, growing closer to the fox and establishing a healthy friendship between them. That was the reason he was so mad at him. And so in pain.

" _He has fooled us all, Judy, even you. That untrustworthy bastard…"_ Fangmeyer said furiously _"He has been playing with us since the beginning. Nobody blames you Judy, it's just that… We feel so impotent. He was our partner, fuck! He was a friend! He even saved McHorn's life. He saved yours! He saved mine! And, at the end… Everything was a lie."_

Judy, who was holding back her tears, finally let them go now. Everything was a lie. From his compliments to his taunts, from their arguments to their agreements, every smile, every one of his beautiful smiles, were nothing more than a lie. Maybe some pieces were true, but they had been twisted and wasted on a swindle.

 _¡No!_

No, something was happening beyond that. Nick knew that there was some trouble coming. He told her that he trusted her and he begged to be trusted by her. Yeah, something was happening, and it was too soon to draw any conclusions. She had to believe in him.

Judy clung desperately to that hope, knowing that it was the only possibility of his innocence. She _knew_ he was innocent, he had changed, he had become a police officer who sought justice to make the world a better place, just like her. Probably this was all a misunderstanding, and their partners had jumped to conclusions because he was a fox and the prejudice was still there, but soon they would find out that he was actually a good mammal who cared for them and they would free him, and everything would be like always.

She had to trust him, this could not be a lie. Their friendship could not be a lie. That warm sensation that burned her chest when he was smiling, that small spark of light, which turned into a star of pure life when he was close, that feeling, that feeling she refused to accept, could not be a lie.

Tomorrow, she would speak with Bogo. Tomorrow, she would speak to Nick. Tomorrow, she would find out that this was a mistake.

That last thought protected her while her last tear ran dry on her face and she sank on a deep sleep. As Nick, she was thankful when the darkness consumed her.

* * *

Judy heard once that you remember nothing until three seconds after waking up. She didn't know if it was true or some of those myths that had spread among the population and now no one could tell if it was a lie or not. However, this time it looked like it was correct. The first second, Judy could only know how good she slept that night, feeling her body relaxed and her mind clear. The second one, she stretched her legs and looked at the window, the Sun shining in the sky forecasting a warm, cloudless day. The third and last second, she started to sit up in bed, feeling a bit hungry, feeling a sudden desire to eat some blueberry cereals. And then, she remembered.

Nick.

She sighed and looked at the clock: it was still eleven o'clock. She would wake up far earlier, but yesterday was a tiring day, she went to bed late and she could not get to sleep until a while after arriving home, so it was understandable, but she felt guilty. Guilty, because she should have gone already to the ZPD to make sure Nick was okay and clean his name. Grabbing something to eat during the way, she rushed to her car, turned on the radio and started driving.

The famous Howard Ottern was speaking calmly and his voice filled Judy's car. He seemed to be arguing with some guest.

"Well, you know John," was saying Ottern to the other, "I'm going to get a lot of hate for this, but I do believe that Wilde is innocent. I mean, he saved the entire city and then joined the ZPD as the first fox officer ever. He became an idol for all those small mammals who wanted to overcome what the rest thought about them, just like Judy Hopps did before him, but," he stopped talking, and his voice got touched, "what is more, he became an idol for those who were believed to be good for nothing. He is admired by foxes, weasels, hyenas, jackals; those mammals who saw in him a hero who showed the rest that they are trustworthy, kind and caring. I believe in him."

"But Howard," the other radio sounded as moved as him, but also sad, "I want to believe as much as you, and he has done a lot of good, but, at the end, it was a lie. The ZPD's very own chief has stated that he was arrested because he betrayed them! Every good action he has done has been a collateral damage of his scam. As chief Bogo said during the press conference a couple hours ago, he had leaked a lot of confidential information to an unknown illegal group since he joined the ZPD. God, he even knew they were after him, so he destroyed his mobile phone! If that doesn't proves that he is guilty of something, I don't know what is. Anyway, the trial will be soon so—"

Judy turned off the radio, regretting her choice of listening to it. She felt her chest oppressed, and fought back the tears again. She had to clear up this case as soon as possible, or the consequences could be greater than losing her best friend.

"Judy!" Clawhauser greeted her as soon as she came into the police station. The cheetah seemed tired, but forced a smile nonetheless. " What are you doing here? I thought you had your day off.

She looked at him sadly. Clawhauser was obviously upset about what had happened last night, but he was still trying to pretend that there wasn't anything to worry about, also wanting to cheer her up.

"You know why I am here, Ben. I need to talk to Nick."

He looked at the rabbit for a long time with dull eyes, almost being able to feel the pain in her words, even when she tried to hide it. Finally, Clawhauser exhaled a glum sigh and pressed a button on his intercom after picking up the receiver.

"Chief, Judy is here," there was a little pause before he spoke again. "Yes, I will tell that to her right now," he then hung up and looked at her again. "He is waiting for you in his office, he knew you would come," he let out a lugubrious chuckle, "well, everyone knew. Go, don't make him wait."

"Thank you, Ben," the cheetah smiled. No jokes, no nervous smiles or choppy laughs. She hadn't realized before, but the atmosphere in the station was heavy and the air was stale. Some officer waved at her, trying to seem normal, but she could see pity in their eyes. Nick joined the ZPD being seen as nothing more than a fox, even when Judy had showed them that it wasn't right to judge a book by its cover. Still, he didn't let this discourage him and worked hard to win his partners' trust, saving McHorn from a bullet, Fangmeyer from an arson fire, and Judy countless times in the process.

"Judy!" she turned again to the reception desk and saw Clawhauser smiling to her. "Don't despair! I'm sure everything has an explanation, Nick is a good fox."

She smiled back. That cheetah, always saying that everything is going to be okay.

"Thank you, Ben," replied the rabbit, feeling truly gratefully, "Thank you."

Without another word, she left the room, heading to Bogo's office. Clawhauser's smile faded as soon as she turned her back on him. "I'm sorry, Judy," thought Benjamin, "but this time, it won't come out right."

* * *

"Come in."

Judy got in the office and took a seat in front of him. He had the same exhausted look as Clawhauser, he probably had slept only for a couple of hours tonight, maybe none. Nick's charges were grave and had been a huge blow for the whole station. The officer working for the ZPD received the fox with suspicion, but they ended trusting him. They would have entrusted their lives during a mission to him and the mere thought of having been conned by someone they thought was their friend had devastated everyone. Thinking he had even conned Judy…

No. She shook off those thoughts and forced herself to focus on Bogo. The chief would explain everything down to the last detail and, together, they would clear up this case, discovering that all was a system's failure, a trap or any other rational reason that would give her back her partner. And there must be one, she was sure of it.

"Hopps, I wanted to speak with you," Bogo started talking looking at her while he organized some documents he had over his desk, "I know why you are here. I know that you think there is some explanation, something we don't know," he sighed, "There isn't. Wilde is guilty."

She exploded. After that night, she just couldn't control herself.

"No, I can't believe it, chief! Nick is a good fox, he is our partner!"

"Hopps, he…"

"He saved my life, and more than once! And do you remember when Fangmeyer tagged along with us to take down that arsonist? He risked his own life to save him!"

"Hopps."

"And McHorn! He threw himself in the middle of a bullet! That can't be a lie!"

"Hopps!"

"And he has done so much good, I can't believe it, there must be something that—!"

"HOPPS!" his shout echoed in the room with anger, "He confessed!"

That caught Judy by surprise. Impossible. Why would Nick do all this just to stab them in the back? It didn't make sense. No, no, no, there was something more, something that even the fox wasn't able to say. Anything.

"I assume you haven't see the news. I had my suspicions, Hopps, he was acting strange, after all. And yesterday, we received a file. It contained information about Wilde's personal computer's data traffic, which showed he had sent confidential documents to a coded receiver that doesn't exist anymore. There's also a couple of videos of him meeting unidentified mammals—and I mean we don't know even their species—and handing them some archives that we later found out that had been swapped for fake ones. There is no doubt."

Judy's ears fell flaccid, completely shattered by this new information. It couldn't be. His friend couldn't be a traitor.

"I didn't want to believe it neither, but it is true. And I need to know if he told you anything important while you two were having dinner, it could be of an immense importance."

"Nothing." Judy was immobile, her face between her paws, broken, " _J-J_ ust that I was a great agent. _A-A_ nd that horrible things were _g-g_ oing to happen. He spoke as he was going to be executed… He scared me."

The buffalo stood up, looking at his watch. He didn't seem disappointed about what the bunny had told him, more like satisfied, and that was strange. He gestured to Judy to indicate that he wanted her to follow him, which she did without complaints.

"Where are we going?" the rabbit's voice was so in pain that she wasn't able to hide it.

"Wilde's interrogation should have ended a few minutes ago. I guessed you wanted to hear all of this from him."

* * *

Bogo and Nick looked at each other silently. The first one, with absolute seriousness. The second one with an insulting smirk, with a gesture so arrogant the buffalo wanted to punch him. Judy was observing them through the other side of the one-way mirror, nervous. She would never had believed that they would attend an interrogation from different places. She wanted to scream. Nick was the one who started talking:

"Well, chief, you sure took your time. You seem tired, didn't you sleep a good amount of hours tonight?" he chuckled, "I recommend you some tranquilizer darts. Works for me.

The buffalo seethed.

"It's not a good moment to joke, Wilde. Have you been leaking secret ZPD's information?"

"Again?" the fox made an exaggerate nuisance face, "I have literally just told it to Wolford and Fangmeyer. I will take the liberty to say they did a good impression of a bad cop/good cop. A bit forced anyway, do you want me to give them some lessons?"

"Just answer the question."

"Okay, okay, Buffalo-Butt. Yes, I leaked secret ZPD's information."

"Since when?"

Nick folded his arms, smiling with superiority, and started to recline his seat glancing to the big one-way mirror that dominated the room. Then, he clicked his tongue.

"Seriously, Bogo, I prepared an authentic labyrinth of half-truths and ambiguous statements and you come here just to disappoint me. But well, I will play your game: I have been leaking information since the very moment I set foot into the station," he did a good impersonation of the buffalo's deep, emotionless voice.

"What kind of data have you leaked?"

"Not your bra size, you can relax," Nick laughed again, "about the rest, who knows."

Bogo kept himself calmed. Obviously, the fox wanted to get him on his nerves, and he didn't want to give him the satisfaction.

"Why did you do it?"

Nick burst out laughing, genuinely amused this time. He banged on the table, breathing heavily. When he finally calmed down, he stood up. And started walking to the mirror.

"Are you seriously this stupid at interrogations?" he glared directly at the mirror, "we all know why you are here. What do you want?"

The last sentence was headed to the bunny, who felt her heart sink when she saw nothing more than anger in his eyes. She couldn't bear up the situation anymore and leaped to the intercom.

"Nick, please tell what is happening. Tell me that this is all a lie, that there is a reason," she fought the tears back. "Just tell me why."

He wasn't smirking now. This time, there were no jokes nor taunts.

"I don't know why you need more evidence. Why are you unable to believe that, at the end, I lied? That, at the end, I am nothing more than a fox!? Why do you still believe in me!? " he sounded angry, almost desperate.

She couldn't help it anymore and started crying. How couldn't he understand? He continued:

"Always so ingenuous, trying to see something good inside everyone. Bad news, rabbit, welcome to the real world. In the end, it is still the same: dumb bunny, sly fox," he shook his head and talked down to her. "You are brave, gentle and, overall, a good mammal, but, above all else, you are weak. Above all else, you are a prey."

Judy and Bogo froze. In a flash, Nick's expression changed from seriousness to pleading, then to concern, and, finally, went back to a smirk. He sat down again, not speaking anymore.

"What did you mean?"

The fox bit his tongue, had he made a mistake? Had he been too direct, or not clear enough? He hoped no.

"I meant that she was only prey to my wiles, of course," he winked at Bogo, "you know I don't know how to lie, chief."

"I will repeat it one more time. What did you mean!?"

"I will not answer anymore."

From that moment, nothing left the fox's muzzle, simply smiling to the buffalo with the same high-handed manner he had when Bogo entered the room. After a while, the chief just stopped asking and left the place, feeling that damned smirk of him piercing the back of his neck. When he entered the room at the other side of the one-way mirror, Judy was nowhere to be seen, which comforted Bogo a little. At least, she couldn't see Nick's expression while he was being taken to his provisional cell into the ZPD.

* * *

About half an hour later, Nick Wilde was lying on his bed. The cell was impressively boring, as it was designed to keep criminals inside for, at the maximum, two days while the waited for a trial to be appointed or to be transferred to a penitentiary. Also, it had another aim. After spending one or two hours inside without being able to do anything, strong emotions, that were the results of a crime and its subsequent arrest, fade. And when the prisoner loses the anger, the excitement; and only fear and boredom prevail, there is just one thing that he or she can do: to think.

And Nick was in that condition since the very beginning, since his emotions didn't control his actions. He thought about Zootopia's society, wishing that foxes wouldn't be too punished for his actions. He thought about his ex-partners repudiating his very presence with glares of hate. And he thought about Judy and her broken expression. The one that haunted him since last night. He had lost everything, but he convinced himself that everything would be worth it at the end, when the whole plan was complete.

There was one thing that still bothered him. Why was she so obstinate with proving his innocence when he was obviously guilty? He betrayed her and, yet, she trusted him. The plan included this, of course, that was the reason he spoke like that during their dinner yesterday, but he regretted to deceive her. He had to gain Judy's confidence, as he has ordered to, but she saved her life. She had done so much for him that he didn't want to hurt her more, so he tried to be rude and insulting, to keep her away from everything; but yet, she trusted him. Maybe he had to kill someone to show her how wrong she was.

And maybe he was going to.

"You shouldn't be here, but… Five minutes."

That was Delgato's voice. Nick opened his eyes and Judy Hopps entered in his field of vision. He made a gesture of desperate annoyance that didn't slip unnoticed to the rabbit.

"Nick, I—"

Her voice was tremulous. The fox wanted to scream.

"What do you come for, bunny? I'm not going to tell you anything more, so just go away," he wanted to hurt her, to make her flee and never return, "Is it so difficult to live without me? Do you want me to tell you a joke, huh?"

"Nick, you stupid fox!" she yelled, and the fox got surprised from her unexpected anger, " _O-o_ f course it's difficult to live without you! Of course it's difficult to find out that everything you told me was a lie, that I never truly knew you!" `don't cry' she thought `not now, you have to be strong', "I _need_ to know why! After all you said, after all you did… I refuse to believe it wasn't real!"

His face cracked. There were no tears in her eyes, there were not hate in her voice. She was suffering as much as she did when she thought he hated her under that bridge at what seemed to be years ago. "Keep her away," he said to himself, "save her."

"Everything I said inside that interrogation room was true."

This time, a voice that wasn't his own was the one to speak to him inside his mind: "keep her close," the voice said, days ago, "we will need her." He had to follow his orders, the plan must go on.

"But," he continued, "everything I said last night was true, too. You choose which of them you want to pick. Now, go away."

Judy tried to reply, but Delgato, who was the one chosen to keep an eye on him until the next shift, entered the room and put a paw over the rabbit's right shoulder, looking at the fox with contempt. He start to pull her back, while Nick laughed in front of the shocked bunny.

"C'mon Delgato, no visits allowed!" he mocked, "Do your job! If you need help, I could lend you a paw, since I am an exemplary officer."

His guffaw echoed in the suddenly lonely room, and the fox was alone with his thoughts again. He was now more determined than ever, willing to do anything necessary to reach his goal, even if that meant becoming a true demon on earth. But now he had to wait until darkness surrounded everything and Growlson would then do his thing. It was his ordeal by fire, and he surely would carry out his task.

He closed his eyes again. The first part was complete.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, everyone! I finally ended my exams (for now), and I am going on a journey for like three/four days, so I wanted to post this today. I wanted to translate it before, but I ended adding things and... Well, I could have post it before but, in exchange, the chapter is longer than I expected to. Enjoy it!**

 **Also, thanks to everyone that is following this story anad especially, thanks to those who had reviewed it. Hope you keep liking it!**

 ** _Chapter 4_**

 ** _Judy_**

Judy was always a mammal with an impressive willpower, but this was a harsh blow. After her short conversation with Nick, she went back to her apartment without saying goodbye to Clawhauser or any other, and now she was lying on her bed, crying inconsolably. Her partner had been a fundamental piece of her life, and discovering she was used… Something broke inside her, causing terrible pain. She cried because she missed their chats, their chance grazes when they handed each other a coffee cup. She cried because she missed that happy feeling that overwhelmed her when he smiled, the desire to punch him lightly when his jokes were too bad, his silent gazes when he thought she was not looking that made her heart beat faster.

It was like she had a hole inside her chest. He wanted to scream, to throw up, to hit someone, to kiss him; it was like he was dead.

Even then, she refused to accept it. The memory of last night was still fresh, telling her that there was something he couldn't say, but maybe he tried to give the bunny a hint. Judy took refuge in that night desperately, examining every single word he said, every gesture he did, scrutinizing them, searching for something she could have overlook, something decisive, as minor as it could seem.

" _Everything I said inside that interrogation room was true."_

And yet, he claimed he was guilty. She could convince others or herself, but he was willingly saying that he was a criminal.

" _But everything I said last night was true, too."_

And yet, he praised her. He could convince other or himself, but he still asked her something.

He said goodbye. He knew what was going to happen, that he wouldn't walk out of that room as a free mammal.

" _A-And I want—, I need you to trust me, to believe in me."_

At the last moment, he still asked for confidence. For her not to judge him. That, after the horrible things she would hear about him, he needed her to trust him. After that, the Nick she knew left and never came back.

" _And I want you to know that I am doing all of this for you."_

Was he blaming her, perhaps, about his betrayal? Did he mean that she and her actions impelled him to deceive them? He was maybe talking about that ominous interview during the Nighthowlers case. Maybe… Maybe he never forgave her and this was nothing more that revenge?

" _I need you to believe in me."_

And now, after everything he said and done, she believed in him. She almost could hear his voice begging her to wait, telling Judy this was an act. It had to.

She spent the whole afternoon trying to distract herself, watching a couple of movies, going for a walk, but it just wasn't working. That fox was still in her head, with that insulting smirk he showed during the interrogation. There was no way to escape from those thoughts nor the anguish that grew more and more powerful in her chest.

It hurt, the mere fact of thinking that all was false almost physically wounded her, because it would be admitting that their friendship was false as well, that they never connected as they did. She thought about last night date without even realizing she considered it a date, about their chats, and she refused to think that any of that wasn't real.

With her head full of doubts, she arrived home, and her ringtone greeted her. She had left her phone at her apartment during her walk to forget about everything for a while, but she accepted the distraction gladly, at least for two seconds, exactly the time she needed to recognize the phone number.

"Hi, dad. Hi, mom."

On the screen, her parents looked at her with a worried look.

"Jude! How are you?" said Stu.

"Yeah, have you caught any criminals lately?" continued Bonnie.

Judy just smiled. They never knew how to approach her, since she was not as the rest of the rabbits. She was always brave and open-minded, and even though they tried to understand their daughter, she always managed to surprise them.

"C'mon, dad, mom, you know you are not calling me to speak about that," she sighed. "The news reached Bunnyburrow already, isn't it?"

"Well, huh, I mean…" her father doubted. "Yes. Yes, they did."

Her mother put her paw on his husband's, and nodded slightly before turning to the phone and talking:

"What we wanted to ask is: how do you feel, Judy, are you okay?"

"How do I feel? Sad, frustrated, angry," she replied abruptly, "broken."

Stu chuckled and Bonnie smiled, to her surprise.

"We actually expected that," he said, "you know, I have never been very fond of foxes, and at a different time I would probably be there smashing that fox friend of yours to pieces but…"

"Well, we actually trust him," finished his wife. "Do you remember that day when you forgot your phone at the station and Nick returned it to you? We maybe… We maybe phoned and talked to him?"

That last sentence was said with uncertainty and… Shame? Judy frowned.

"Oh, you two better didn't tell him something embarrassing about me," sudden realization hit her in the face. "That was why he started making comments about children's stage plays! He never told me how he knew and mocked at me for weeks!"

"Well, well, that's another story we don't need to discuss right now," replied Stu with a small smile, "We talked to him for… Wow, maybe forty minutes?"

"We just wanted to make sure he was a good mammal, sweetheart," added Bonnie, "Maybe we were a bit, huh, prejudiced, and we are terribly sorry for it."

"But he managed to convince us of our wrong point of view and, at the end, your mother and I…"

"…decided that he was a good mammal," ended Bonnie.

Judy was confused.

"Okay, okay, I get it, you like Nick," she was starting to be exasperated, "What is your point?"

Her parents looked at each other, gathering strength to speak.

"When we saw the news, we figured out that you would be devastated and, you know, we wanted to tell you that we trust Nick."

Stu's words caught her by surprise. The last one she didn't expect to tell her that they supported Nick were her parents and maybe Bellwether's gang.

"When he spoke about you," continued Bonnie, "about how you saved his life, how you made him get better; his words were so full of admiration and affection that we knew he would take care of you. And," she raised her paw, threatening, "Even when I am going to spank him _hard_ for this, we know he is trustworthy."

Judy was speechless. At the first mention of Nick she thought she was going to throw her phone through the window, but she felt relieved. With their words, they took a huge weight off her mind, and she sensed her willpower coming back to her. That was exactly what she needed.

"Hey Jude, we can still see you and that goofy smile of you, which just confirms our suspicions," he winked at his daughter, "Let us know when you set the date of the wedding!"

She blushed and tried to reply, but they said a last "Love you, honey" and hung up. She just wanted to thank them. If they knew how much she needed that… Hell, they surely knew.

She noticed there were thirteen missed calls from an unknown number. She checked the time on her phone and her eyes widened. She was aware about being late, but 00:30? Gosh, that meant she must have arrived at home at like 23:30 and spoke with her parents for about one hour. Her stomach rumbled accusatory and she conceded and started cooking something fast to go to sleep, since she had to get up early for work.

After half an hour, her hunger was satisfied and her body was in her bed, but her mind… Her mind was far away, in a cell, next to a certain fox. She couldn't get to sleep, and looked at the time again. 1:15. 1:30. 1:45.

And the phone rang.

She stood up quickly, knowing that waking up Bucky and Pronk would be catastrophic. She then remembered that they were out for a week. And after that, she remembered that her phone was still ringing. Finally, she picked it up.

"Erm, hello?"

"Finally! Fucking finally, you damn bunny!" Finnick's voice was unmistakable, once you hear it, you will remember it forever. Judy had met with him a couple of times, since Nick and he were like brothers and she was determined to get the fennec fox into the legal side of the society, "I have been calling you for the whole afternoon without response!"

She was not prepared for his outburst, so her answer wasn't the most appropriate one.

"Oh, hey Finnick, how did you get my number?" she didn't remember giving it to him, but she cursed herself for saying that. He seemed angry, so probably expected an apology.

"Nick told me, in case something happened," his deep voice was worried, 'if that small ball of furious fur could be in another emotional state that wasn't wrath' she thought to herself, "and you will agree with me that, indeed, `something' happened. Care to explain it, huh?"

Judy wasn't sure where to start from. She feared that her voice betrayed her.

" _I-I_ t's madness, Finnick. Yes, Nick has been acting 'weird' for the last… Well, for the last months, but, _y-_ you know he took me yesterday to a restaurant _a-a_ nd he was… He was just like before! And suddenly he got arrested and he confessed _a-a_ nd he looks like he hates me and, and…"

Her voice broke.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Finnick waited for her to regain her composure, "Why are you so worried about him? He is just a fox."

That shocked the rabbit. Even when the fennec spoke with a completely neutral tone, what he said didn't make sense. She was perplexed.

"What are you saying, Finnick? You know that I trust you and you are not 'just foxes'."

"What I mean is: why do you care about him so much. You could just, you know, get over him and continue your life."

"He is my friend!" the conversation began to become heated, "I refuse to think that our friendship was a trick!"

She was screaming and breathing heavily. Why was Finnick telling her those things? To her annoyance, he chuckled.

"Oh, but you are too worried for a simple friend. C'mon, be honest, there is something more, isn't it?"

She thought. She looked at her feelings, wondering if he was right. But she couldn't understand. Not yet.

"I… I don't know. I'm confused. It's just…" she sighed.

Finnick laughed.

"Nick is right, you are a dumb bunny," his words turned serious again, "Look, I know him. I can `read' him, even if it seems impossible, and I can guarantee that he is clean now. And I have seen you, and I know that there is something you don't want to admit. What is more," he made a pause and she was sure he smiled, "I have seen you _together_ and I know that your friendship is not the only thing you fear is a lie."

Judy didn't answer when silence took over the call, not daring to speak, knowing he was right. The fenneck took the floor again.

"I won't say it for you, it's something you have to face," his voice was tired and obviously frustrated. "You two are too blind to realize, but I can. You know, I met Nick long ago, and when you rabbit arrived… He was angry with you, then he was curious, after that he got amazed. But now, he is happy. You make him happy."

Her heart beat strongly. Her voice trembled.

" _I-I_ will think about that."

"Good," the fox changed the topic quickly, "but going back to the initial reason of my call, yes, we have a huge problem on our paws, and yes, Nick has been acting weird lately. He needed help with things that weren't exactly legal and told me that they were for a secret mission. I didn't shallow that so he used a little favor he saved for a special occasion, and no, I won't tell you what it was," she giggled. "Anyway, he wanted to learn. How to infiltrate into a computer system without being noticed, how to code information, and last week he wanted to know how to manipulate electricity wiring and power settings. He spent hours talking to the contact I handed him. And one last thing two weeks ago, that seriously made me shiver."

She stayed quiet, sensing concern in his voice.

"Nighthowlers," he pronounced the name very cautiously. "He wanted to find out everything. Where the files about the case were, who 'cooked' the solution and where was he, everything. And well, I didn't know it immediately, but I discovered it in no time. And do you know what I heard this morning? One of the guys who made the drug disappeared. *Poof*. No one knows anything, but I have to say that no one has tried to find him neither," he paused. "He said goodbye in a quite exaggerated way, but don't worry, it's Nick, I'm sure he has a plan. Also, if you tell someone about the first part of this conversation I will rip your hears off and use them as gloves, understood?"

She smiled, Finnick was right. Nick had changed and she had to believe in him, just like he asked. Still, she didn't know where the Nighthowlers' case information was stored, and now it piqued her interest.

"Don't worry, I will take it to my grave. Oh, but out of curiosity… Where is the Nighthowlers information, anyway?"

"Oh, actually it is ironic. They are into the police station, but they just didn't share that information with most of the officers. You know, the best place to hide something is where it would be obvious to," she heard the sound of some papers getting unfolded, "And according to this ZPD blueprint upon which I won't share any details about how I got my paws on it, the information Nick was looking for is placed into the, erm, archive confinement room C.2. Same floor than the provisional cells. It has a special security device since there is an electric accumulator there where the whole power supply merge," he laughed. "God, the only way you could access that room without facing every single officer in the police station and getting caught in the record is being locked up in a cell and knowing the chief's personal security code. And getting out of the ZPD would be impossible without being noticed. However," he stopped to yawn loudly, "it is already late enough, so I'm going to get some sleep. It was nice to talk to you, bunny."

"Good night, Finnick."

She hung up and laid on her bed. What her parents told her in addition to Finnick's words had relieved her, so maybe she would be able to relax and finally sleep. Tomorrow she would speak again with Nick and start to work in this case so—

" _The information Nick was looking for is placed into the archive confinement room C.2."_

That was actually weird. If the information was into the ZPD all the time, he could have focused his efforts on getting Bogo's security code and then he could go for it. Why didn't he take it and walk away?

Her police mentality was running, just thinking about why her friend let them arrest him when he could, literally, enter and go. Hadn't he just ruined the plan? Maybe, in the end, that wasn't what he was looking for?

Or maybe, just maybe, wasn't he who was looking for it?

And then, it clicked.

" _The only way you could access that room without facing every single officer in the police station and getting caught in the record is being locked up in a cell and knowing the chief's personal security code."_

But letting them arrest him would only be useful to get in, but once he was out, the conclusions would be logical even if he managed to dodge the security cameras.

" _Last week he wanted to know how to manipulate electricity wiring and power settings. He spent hours talking to the contact I handed him."_

" _There is an electric accumulator there where the whole power supply merge."_

Okay, it was clear that he wanted to escape, cut off the power supply and flee with the info, but we knew it was hi. There was no use into hiding who steals something when it is obvious. It would be utterly useless, only being worth to… To…

 _To make way for someone._

Still, there was something missing. It was highly risky to do something this big being able to enter and go without being arrested. That had to mean that, whoever it was the one who wanted the Nighthowlers' file, he had to get it personally and didn't trust the fox.

There it was! A smile appeared on the face. If Nick couldn't be trusted by whoever he was working for, it had to be because he was being manipulated somehow.

 _Or because there is no trust among criminals._ Her smile faded. Judy shook that thought off her mind.

It was in that moment when it hit her that, very likely, there was being a jailbreak into the ZPD and, that it worked out well, the whole Zootopia would be in danger. She had to move, and fast. With one paw calling Bogo and the other one driving, she headed to the police station. She looked at the clock when it told the time was 2:30 and a fatal thought crossed her brain.

If he blew up his cover, it was because there was something really huge with what Nick could be blackmailed, or… Because the profit was better than his current life and friends.

And she wasn't sure about which one was worse.

* * *

 _ **Nick**_

The fox looked at the clock that hanged on the wall in front of his cell. 1:43. The distraction they planned should be in progress for almost ten minutes, and that meant that only a few officers remained into de ZPD. It was his turn, then. He stood up and approached the bars to see Fangmeyer sitting next to an old desk. He has ended his paperwork while he watched Nick, so he was now killing time with his mobile phone, concentrated on the screen. The fox looked at the wolf with annoyance, knowing that he was playing to that game that received so many criticism by the media. It was pretty speciescist to antagonize birds and pigs, in Nick's opinion.

"Hey, Fangmeyer," Nick called his ex-fellow officer with authority, as he was his boss.

The wolf raised his eyes from the device and glared angrily at him.

"What do you want, Wilde?"

Oh, he was so mad. Fangmeyer was always the playful type of wolf, sharing jokes with everyone, but lacked the finesse Nick had, which made him look like his pranks were an accident, so they teamed up to checkmate the whole station on April's Fools. Good ol' days.

Anyway, he was truly enraged since Nick's arrest, since he was his friend and owed his life to the fox. The prisoner smirked, that would make this easier.

"Wow, cool off, Snowflake," he chuckled, "I just wanted to have a nice little chat with my friend. It can be very boring to be into a cell, you know."

Fangmeyer growled, but didn't say anything. Nick could tell he was not happy with his nickname.

"Well, I will speak alone, then," continued the fox. "Well, you know, I was just curious. I was wondering how you got me, since my tail is more intelligent than half of you guys. Do you think they could promote my tail? Like, Lieutenant McFluffy or something like that."

"I'm not going to tell you anything."

Nick laughed.

"So you don't know. I don't find it surprising, since you are one of the most mediocre officers in the ZPD," Fangmeyer froze, and the fox knew he just hit the spot. "Not strong enough, not sharp enough, doomed to work in unimportant things, like watching a criminal into his cell. Ms. Fangmeyer would be so disappointed."

The wolf stood up. He slowly walked to the bars of his cell, and stopped just in front of the fox, his paws crossed.

"Shut up, Wilde."

His words were filled with wrath, so much Nick could almost feel the heat in the room rising. Still, he noticed it: the grief. Behind all that hate, all that rage, he felt hurt. Hurt by someone he considered his friend and betrayed him. Someone he trusted, telling him things about his past, and now he was using those secrets against him. The vulpine felt sorry for his canine friend.

"You know I am right. Everyone thinks you are a poor excuse of a cop. And, when someone finally decides to give you a semi-important case, let's say, like taking down an arsonist, you manage to almost get killed. You should be thankful I was there," he winked at the wolf, "thankful that I needed to gain your confidence, to show I was `trustworthy'"

"Shut up!"

"How does it feel, Snowflake, to know that your uniform will never be more than a costume?" he mocked at him, laughing cruelly. "How does it feel to know you are only alive because I needed to use you?"

Fangmeyer was at his limit, shaking from fury. His paws closed on a fist, his fangs showing and his muzzle barely suppressing a roar. But he needed a little push. Nick leaned his head to him between the bars, and smirked again, his head within inches of the wolf's.

"You. Are. A failure."

That was the last straw. Fangmeyer wouldn't tolerate anymore his insults, not after everything he did, he just couldn't. So he followed his instinct, and it was telling him to punch that traitor in the face with all his strength.

However, he expected that.

He was a good fighter. Of course, he had to hide it. When he graduated valedictorian, everyone thought it was because of his deduction skills and cleverness, virtues that compensated for his lack of physical ability, but years of living on the street had taught him some tricks that, even when they weren't exactly fair, they were effective, especially when he combined them with the self-defense he learnt in the academy. And, of course, he also had to hide that he trained for the last months with Growlson. When someone studies how to kill with his bare paws, it must be kept as a secret. He was far from his teacher', but dangerous nonetheless.

So, when Fangmeyer's blow crossed the room between them, he was already prepared. At the last moment, he moved to his right, grabbing Fangmeyer's arm as it went from one side of the cell to the other, going through the bars, just where Nick's muzzle was a second ago. Then, he pulled the wolf's upper limb in, and Fangmeyer, who was caught by surprised banged his head against the bars.

Stunned, he could do nothing when a sudden movement and a hard hit from Nick forced his elbow to bend at an unnatural angle. The pain overcame his senses and he opened his mouth to scream. Lastly, the fox threw two well-aimed punched that hit him in the jaw. The first one avoided that any noise left his muzzle, and he tasted blood. The second one was too much, and Fangmeyer fainted from pain.

Nick looked at him, a serious gesture on his face, rapid breathing on his lungs, blood on his paws. Those seconds he spent contemplating his work felt like hours, until his adrenaline stopped flowing through his veins. He shook his head. "Focus, now," he commanded himself.

He took Fangmeyer's ID card and used it on the detector that hanged on the wall next to his cell. One second later, he was out of it. He freed the unconscious officer of his tranquilizer dart gun and walked to the door. With a last look to the wolf, he left.

* * *

The corridor was empty, so Nick assumed that the distraction worked out just right. Still, he had to be cautious, so he wandered through the police station sneakily, avoiding the areas that the monitoring cameras covered. It was easy, more than he had expected, since no one had his or her office there, since the place was set aside for storage mainly. Anyway, so many things could go wrong that he preferred not to think about them.

When he found himself in front of the security room he was looking for, he inspected the door carefully. It looked like a normal security door, which was a smart move. If a place is unsafe, nobody thinks about it as the resting place of dangerous closed cases' information. But he knew more things, such as the need of explosives or an extremely high-powered blowtorch to make his way through it without the correct access code. He searched his memory and typed twelve numbers before pressing enter'.

 _ ***Access denied***_

Those words appearing on the small screen sank his heart. Bogo, for some unknown reason, had changed his personal code, which had ruined the plan. Which had ruined everything.

" _Think, Nick, think."_

Time was running and he had to do something fast. A brief thought crossed his mind. _"Wait, wasn't that 3 an 8?"_ He typed again.

 _ ***Access confirmed***_

He sighed, relieved. He was almost able to hear Judy's voice on his head: _"Dumb fox."_

He made an uncomfortable face and shook his head again, getting rid of distractions. When he entered the room, he was determined.

It was a simple room, flooded with filing cabinets. To be honest, Nick wasn't sure about what he had expected to find, maybe some huge super-computer or any other kind of technological monstrosity more befitting an old James BaBoond movie. He tried to spot the two things he needed. The information he looked for and the power panel. The second one was covert behind a fake sheet on the wall, but thanks to the blueprint he got from Finnick, he knew exactly where it was. The first one sent a shiver down the fox's spine. When he opened the file to check that it was the real one, the memories came back. He and Judy on the museum's pit, playing their roles to get Bellwether, the fear he felt when he thought she realized they switched the bullets for blueberries. The rest of the pages were technical chemical data about the compound, and scientific explanations he didn't understand.

Everything was as he expected it to be. The fox headed to the power panel.

" _I hope my lessons with Finnick's contact were worth it and now I am a better electrician than cop. The tension is palpable."_

He laughed at his own joke and got down to work.

* * *

Outside the ZPD a black car rested his engine. Inside it, a hyena was sharpening his claws, biding his time. He was the pure expression of boredom, as he had never been too patient. His name was Frederik Growlson, more known as a hitman called "Prankster", which was nothing more than an ironic nickname, because although his species was known to be giggly, but Growlson hated jokes and no one had managed to make him laugh.

The hyena looked at the two tranquilizer guns he carried into his coat and clicked his tongue with disapproval. He hated those poor excuses of a weapon, but orders were orders. Still, he was annoyed. I liked killing, even when he knew it was a consequence of his past. He was taught to crave violence, to love the feeling of taking away a life, and it had been a while since he had sated that hunger for blood. He almost whished that something went wrong inside the building so he could enter it by fire and sword.

He rested his head on the seat trying to distract himself, but then, what he had expected happened: every single light into de ZPD went out and he stepped out of the car, cracking his knuckles. He put on a balaclava, smoothed his clothes and drew one of the guns. Then, he broke into the police station.

* * *

Clawhauser was rummaging in the drawers of his desk, not being able to remember where the box of doughnuts was the last time he had seen it. He had saved a double chocolate glazed one just for this night shift since he was depressed about Nick's betrayal, but it was just then when the lights went out.

"A blackout?" he thought.

He decided to wait for a couple of minutes before getting worried, but he was already uncomfortable. When an unusually huge amount of automatic theft warnings arrived to the ZPD 20 minutes ago, causing that the building was almost empty, he had a bad vibe, but he knew he wouldn't have been taken seriously.

He started searching for a flashlight, to check on the rest of the workers that had remained into the station (Fangmeyer, Wolford, a panther called Furvitz and a deer that worked on administration). Finally he found what he was looking for when the sound of the main door opening attracted his attention. Since his night vision was poor compared to the rest of his fellow felines, he was just able to see a figure raising a hand a moment before he felt a piercing brief pain in the neck. A second later, he was immobile.

Growlson clicked his tongue again, bored. Everything about that weapon was wrong. The trigger was to soft, the shots, quiet, the reload, slow. What was worse, no blood. The hyena looked at the unconscious cheetah and found amusing that he was exactly the graphic representation of the dumb police officer. No one would miss him if he ripped his throat apart, right? How unfortunate he had to resist the temptation. Finally, he shrugged and headed to where the fox was supposed to be.

It was disappointing not to run into a mishap. Well, yes, he bumped into a panther, but he got rid of him with a simple shot. They just didn't know that someone had broken into the ZPD, so they weren't stealthy, weren't cautious, revealing their positions. If he was right, he should find Nicholas soon. "Damn it," he said to himself, "this is too easy."

So easy he slightly lowered his guard. Crass mistake, before he noticed, he had it on him. A paw hit his muzzle even when he hyena managed to dodge a kick, taking a step bag. He spat blood on the floor and bared his claws in front of his adversary, a grey wolf who snarled at him. Growlson smiled, finally some fun. His enemy, however, had his paws closed on a fist, not using his claws. Typical of weaklings, afraid of killing, repentant of being who they were. They hyena would enjoy this. Without further ado, he leaped on the fox as quick as lightning, wanting to end the fight fast, but the wolf answered nicely, grabbing him after dodging. That movement was used against him when the hyena managed to push him and threw him to the floor. Wolford rolled to his left, avoiding a blow that would have teared his chest and kicked Growlson in the belly, gaining enough time to stand up.

The glared at each other fiercely, the wolf growling, the hyena smiling. No, it wasn't a smile. A smile is not supposed to inspire so much fear, to be dirty with blood, to be wielded by a demon like that. Wolford trembled when he saw his eyes. Those eyes were dissecting him, analyzing every way to murder him.

And then Grolwson was leaping on him, too fast to counterattack when his muscles were stiff thanks to the terror he felt. He was only able to raise his left arm before his fangs sank into his flesh. He tried to push that killer away from him, howling in pain, but it was too late. Before noticing, his opponent was upon him, clearly going to use his claws to end the wolf's life. It was the end. He closed his eyes, waiting for the fatal blow.

It never came.

"Growlson!"

The hyena froze. His face turned to the source of the sound that interrupted his feast of blood. To Wolford's surprise, Nicholas Wild walked to them and, with his muzzle within inches of the hyena's, spoke.

"No. Killing."

He was not begging not suggesting. He was ordering.

"You know what you had to do, Growlson. You know what you can do and what you cannot. Still, you managed to almost fuck everything up."

The fox was not afraid, and Wolford was impressed. He noticed he had stopped screaming in pain, since the sight of the hyena was too terrific to make any moment. Then he felt a sting and started to fall sleep. He saw a tranquilizer gun on Nick's hand before fading into the black.

"We are going to be pursued by the whole ZPD," continued Nick as if nothing had happened, "so the last thing we need is blood on our paws. Well, _your_ paws. Now let's go, we don't have enough time for this."

The hyena nodded. The police station presented a gloomy image, surrounded by shadows and filled with unconscious agents. They almost seemed dead. Maybe if the fox had been a little bit later, they would be.

"You have it?" the hyena broke the silence that had been established between them while they walked to the exterior.

"Of course," he snapped, taking out the Nighthowler's file from his jacket, "unlike you, I do my job."

Growlson nodded, but didn't say anything as the fox handed the file to him. When they reached the car, Nick sat next to him, in the front door. It was 2:06, which meant they lost time. Surely, that fight took him more than he expected. He must have gotten rusty.

"So, what's the plan, Freddy?" Nick was smirking when the hyena started driving, "Can we finally set up our tea party with your famous Nighthowler muffins?"

"I cannot tell you anything yet. You are going to stay at a hotel and not going to get out of your room until we tell you. The owner won't report you."

"How, paid vacation, great!" he raised his arms to emphasize a fake enthusiasm he wasn't feeling, "I love to do all the job and then still being untrustworthy. My favorite part was being told that every single piece of information that I got but this one was just 'a test'. What is yours?"

The hyena could understand that Nick felt frustrated, but so much sarcasm made him sick. He took a hoodie from the backseat and threw it to the fox.

"Wear it. We don't want anyone recognizing you," the hyena sighed, still serious. "And look, I don't care about anything that isn't what the boss says, but he thinks so much time living in this rotten city could have softened you. He thinks that your instincts, your true nature could have been atrophied. He doesn't want to be loyal to him, but to yourself. So be patient."

Nick make a face.

"I know. But it's frustrating, you know. After all this time and he thinks that I am the one that has to be tested," the fox smiled sadly. "Anyway, where is the hotel? If you don't laugh soon or at least show some other emotion than boredom I am going to shoot myself with the tranq gun."

"Iceberg Boulevard, Tundra Town."

Nick sank in his seat. It was going to be a long ride.

* * *

"We are here."

Nick crawled out of the car with the hoodie hiding his face. They were in front of what looked like a building that was soon going to be declared disaster area.

"The receptionist will take care of you. Wait until I'm back."

And without saying anything more, he disappeared among the streets.

Of course Nick knew that place. He actually had stayed there for a week years ago, when an anonymous very dangerous gang wanted to get paid but an anonymous fox didn't want to. It was funnier than it sounds. That place was a refuge. When someone needed to stay hidden, a room could be found there. It was like a code. Everyone minded their own business and that hotel (which looked way better on the inside) stayed as a sanctuary, its existence ignored by every cop. And Nick, even though he was a police officer until yesterday, respected that code.

Even when every guest there was a criminal and a fugitive, the fox felt at home. He could tell if it was by the old style that emanate from the reception desk or the soft alcohol smell that came from the small bar/restaurant to his right, he had a warm feeling.

Behind the desk, a slender figure that belonged to a lioness was reading a thick book. The door creaked and the female raised her look to him. When she recognized his features, her eyes shone and her smile appeared. He stood up quickly and, to Nick's surprise, she embraced him on a warm hug.

"Nicholas! Oh, I couldn't wait to meet you, I am so happy that you are here, Mr. W has spoken a lot about you, he was so worried about you not coming with us, well, he still is, but I am sure he is more relaxed now, I sure assured him that you were feeling the same as we do and—"

"Wow, wow, calm down," Nick interrupted her, overwhelmed with the flood of words she launched at him. "Nice to meet you too, Mrs...?"

"Anna, Anna Roarland," she seemed embarrassed about her excessive talkativeness. "I'm sorry. I am just very excited about you helping us, being one of us. Mr. W will be so happy. You must be tired, let's go to your bedroom and we will talk tomorrow."

She guided him to his room, a lodging that was simple but functional. There was a bed, a small bathroom, a desk and a chair, a liquor cabinet and two bookcases filled with all sorts of literary work. Also, there was a suitcase on the bed.

"You have clean clothes and things like a toothbrush, soap and those kind of things into the suitcase. Oh, and if you somehow managed to bring in a mobile phone or any other electronic device, it won't work here. We have to be under the radar, so no risks. I'll come back tomorrow. Sleep well!"

She hugged him one more time and life without just like that. It was weird. How could such a sweet and maternal individual as her be working with such a dirty, horrifying group as theirs? _"Ours, now,"_ corrected himself. Well, she would find out more about her tomorrow, since it looked like he was going to stay there for a while.

Tomorrow there was going to be a good show on the news, for sure. What would Judy think? With that last thought, he closed his eyes.

 **Well, thank you for reading! Writing this chapter, at first the conversation with Fangmeyer was way simpler. Now I am probably going to create a background for him and how his friendship with Nick grew, to give him more importance, so he being so hurt and angry would make more sense. Also, I don't like to write fight scenes, so maybe they are a bit rushed (any advice on this topic would be appreciated), but as I haven't planned to include many hand to hand fights or Rambo-like scenes, this won't happen often. See you!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

 _ **Judy**_

When Judy arrived to the police station, the place was humming with activity, filled with reporters that pestered every police officer in the area to answer them about what had happened. There were some ambulances carrying those who had stayed into the ZPD that night, and the bunny was relieved when she saw that Clawhauser and the panther officer (even when she barely knew the second one) seemed undamaged. Unfortunately, on the other hand, Wolford and Fangmeyer didn't look like they were fine, the first wolf bruised and bleeding profusely from his arm, still immobile, and the white wolf presenting a much worse sight, his head swollen and his nose bleeding, his eyes closed and shaking in the stretcher.

Bogo was there, speaking heatedly with a deer Judy didn't recognized. She hadn't see him ever, so he probably belonged to the administration department, since she never set foot in there. As soon as the buffalo saw the rabbit, he beckoned her. When she called her, he knew already, as they officers that had to left returned at about 2:10 and found the ZPD immersed in darkness, his officers unconscious and the deer hidden under a desk, not daring to get out after overhearing the fight between Wolford and Growlson.

They both walked to his office. She felt like a failure. If she had been at home, if she had taken her phone with her, she would have been informed of the things Finnick told her much earlier, which would have meant that she would have been able to draw conclusions before the jailbreak took place. But now, it was late, Nick had taken what he had been looking for, Fangmeyer and Wolford were wounded; just because she couldn't get over the fact that her friend had fooled them all. The chief waited quietly while the bunny told him all the information she could remember from her conversation with Finnick, not mentioning the personal pieces of their chat, of course. When she brought up the Nighthowlers, the atmosphere got heavy.

"We won't be able to find out anything more until Wolford and the rest wake up from the traquilizer dart they took," said Bogo, "which could take a bit more in Fangmeyer's case."

He left his seat and approached the window in his office, looking through the glass with his paws behind his back.

"We found him in front of Wilde's cell, unconscious, after we fixed the energy supply," he grunted, "he didn't look well down there, and the guys in the ambulance thought the same. We police officers and they know nothing about medicine, but we can see when someone is fighting for his life. And Fangmeyer is."

Judy lost her words. She feared the worst.

"Yes, Hopps, it was him. Wilde," he ended.

Something was breaking inside her. It was impossible that Nick, _her_ Nick, was able to kill a friend or anyone. She couldn't breathe, anguish choked her, her chest burned, she—

He put his hand on her shoulder.

"A worker was hidden. He heard a fight between the intruder and Wolford. The first one, addressed by Wilde as `Growlson´, apparently was about to finish off Wolford but Wilde stopped him, stating that killing must be avoided, so we can suppose Fangmeyer's condition was an accident."

Judy calmed down noticeably. There was still hope, her partner saver Wolford, he was no murderer.

"Sir, I—," started the bunny.

"You nothing, Hopps. Go home," Bogo stared at her, letting her know that he would not admit an argument about that last order, "After fixing up this building and my officers, we are going to start an investigation, and if there is one mammal that has had experience with Nighthowlers and Wilde, I want her leading it. But I need her fresh and emotionally stable, understood?"

She nodded.

"Good. Also, I guess that Wilde's friend won't help us anymore," he sighed. "But try to convince him to, if not, tell Deerrick—the deer I was talking to when you arrived— where we can find him. If you don't know, tell him his features and we will try to find that fennec. And don't speak about the Nighthowlers to anyone, we don't want the whole city panicking."

She nodded again, still nervous, and started to go over the door.. She had to find Nick, at all cost.

"And Hopps," his voice stopped her, "I know that you feel a deep-rooted attachment to Wilde, so you better hold those reservations off or I will get you out of this case until we end. Wilde maybe isn't a murderer, but he is a traitor, so keep your cool."

He watched her when she got out of the room after a short nod. Finally alone for the first time since he had arrived to the police station, the buffalo fell in his chair with a hoof on his forehead. _"Another press conference in less than four hours,"_ Bogo thought, _"that damned fox is going to kill me."_

* * *

 _ **Nick**_

"Good morning, Zootopia," the well-known face of the presenter of the morning news started like that the first program of the day. "Today, this city has woken up shocked. Even though yesterday we received a hugely unpleasant surprise when Nicholas Wilde, first fox to join the police and savior of the city during the Nighthowlers case, was arrested under horrifying charges, we watched in a bigger astonishment his escape in the small hours after less than 24 hours behind bars. Chief Bogo told us more during the press conference earlier this morning."

The buffalo appeared on the screen, looking more annoyed than ever, but also terribly exhausted, and Nick could bet that it wasn't because of his lack of sleep. Every journalist in the room tried to get their own questions asked, but Bogo refused to talk until everyone of them stayed quiet, which calmed things down pretty quickly. He cleared his throat.

"A few hours ago, Nicholas Wilde remained as a prisoner into one of the provisional cells placed into the ZPD. About 1:34 the police station was flooded with automatic theft warnings from seventeen different jeweler's situated all over the city. Every single one was false, and were activated by someone remotely. This worked as a distraction for Wilde, who managed to get out his cell and deactivate the ZPD's power supply. Meanwhile, a collaborator entered into the building and incapacitated the present officers, until officer Wolford engaged the collaborator in a fight. One of our administration workers were hidden near there and provided us with useful information we are using to track them down."

The room exploded. The fact that one of the most highly esteemed police officers in the city had been unveiled as corrupt was something that would mark Zootopia for a long time, but knowing that that same officer managed to get out of prison shortly after being arrested was a bombshell. Animals on internet forums were widely commenting it, TV programs were registering record audience ratings and social networks were on fire.

"How did he manage to escape a cell when he was being guarded?" quickly asked a black small mouse whose shrill voice surprisingly rose amongst the rest.

Bogo seemed uncomfortable when he was faced with this question, remaining quiet for a moment, doubting.

"We… We don't know," his face was serious, but his voice conveyed worry. "The officer that was watching Wilde was found unconscious and severely injured in front of the cell. After a professional diagnosis, it was stated that his arm was fractured in two different places and…" he stopped, swallowing hard, his mouth dry. "He had an intracranial aneurysm that broke due to a couple of blows that hit his face. It was completely accidental since the blood vessel was not discovered because of its small size, but some delicate surgery had to be performed. Right now, the officer is in a medically induced coma with the chances of survival being low."

The buffalo left his speaking stand, clearly considering the press conference done. Then, Nick aimed at the small TV in his room and the image faded. He had barely slept during the night until finally desisting from his efforts half an hour ago, when the first rays of sunlight snuck through the window. Right now, he doubted that he would be able to get to sleep for a long time. He had tried to carry out a perfectly clean operation, even reprimanding Growlson when he was careless about controlling himself and, in the end, it was him, he was the failure, the cold blood murderer, the monster! If Fangmeyer died, Nick would never be able to forgive himself.

That wolf was his friend, both of them so similar. A father that disappeared, a home they left, a dark past they could not share… They opened to each other, and he shed his blood to thank him. The plan had to go on, but when everything was where it must to, he didn't want to have a grave to visit instead of a friend, less knowing that it was his paw the one that buried him.

His eyes darted to the desk in front of him, a pack of cigarettes on it. The fox found it last night, inside the suitcase that was placed onto his bed, and that made him think that Growlson was the one who prepared it and forgot it there. Nick did not need it, since he left the habit long ago, when they money it costed had grown too much to be profitable. A premature death was not worth 8 bucks a day. Of course, that was a time he had no real reason to worry about his long-term health, but now he just put that pack onto the desk, waiting for Anna so she could hand it to the hyena.

However, his eyes were glued to that small carton box now. He didn't thought about it, just reacted by impulse, opening the pack with trembling paws. There was a lighter inside. "How convenient," the fox thought, putting one of those things on his lips. The first puff was horrible. He couldn't remember the last time he smoked, but it sure was years ago. The taste made him look disgusted, and the feeling of that little cloud of ashes and chemical components raiding his lungs made him cough. The first puff is worse for ex-smokers than for no-smokers, and made him feel so bad he forgot about Fangmeyer for a second. They, it came back, so he had another one. Another one. Another one.

Two knocks on the door broke his daydreaming. Anna entered into the room happily with a cup of coffee on one hand and some snacks on the other one, her smile disappearing as soon as she smelt the cigarette and saw the fox. Her cheerful gesture turned into an enraged face when she left the food on the desk and snatched the smoldering cigarette end and the pack from his hands and threw them away through the window. Then, she closed the door and looked at her, truly furious.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde! What do you think you were doing!" her voice was angry, but also concerned, "If I see you again with one of those, I swear I'll—"

The fox, entirely frozen, let himself fall on the chair next to the desk, his head between his paws, eyes wide open. The lioness stopped her speech immediately, worried.

"Nicholas, Nicholas… You are no smoker, Frederik told me that," she gave him a loving embrace, caressing his head, "so please, tell me, what is happening?" she looked at him, scared, "Are you hurt? You aren't sick or wounded or something and just didn't tell me, right?"

He laughed sadly when he heard those words, finally calmed again.

"No, no, not at all," he laughed again, "it is rather the opposite."

When he explained her the situation, her frown relaxed.

"Oh, Nicholas, I understand that you feel guilty, but it wasn't on purpose!" she sighed and sat on the bed, since the only chair in the room was occupied, "it would be so sad that a fellow predator died, but we are working for something so much more important. Sometimes, a sacrifice is in order, it is necessary."

He nodded, not wanting to express the opposite. She sighed.

"Nicholas, I… I want to know you. Our group is not just a bunch of mammals that stuck together because of our own interests. We are a family, pursuing a joint goal, a dream. And, as a family, I wanted to tell you. Who I am. Why I am here."

"Thank you, Anna, but it is not really—"

She told him to be quiet sweetly.

"Look, I won't speak about the others, since I don't know if they want you to know about them, but me… I feel bad about you thinking that you are not being trusted, it is just wrong. We are only being cautious."

She rested her back on the wall, still sat on the sheet. Nick was paying all his attention to her, sipping his coffee.

"Where do I begin…? Oh, of course," her face got engraved by pain and darkness, "the bar."

* * *

 _23 years ago._

 _Not far from here, about ten minutes from here, there was once a grotty dive that closed long ago. It was the meeting point of an old ultra-speciesist prey gang, which meant that my father and me, when we had to go there, we were threatened and insulted. We didn't go too much, but since my mother died twenty six years ago we had to pop in that pub every two months. My father ran this hotel legally back then, but my mother became a compulsive gambler. When a car accident took her life, she left behind a huge debt we had to pay, and that was our rendezvous point._

 _I remember how the atmosphere was more disturbed than usual that night. At one of the tables, close to the counter, three preys were abusing publicly a forth one. The aggressors were, of course, members of that despicable gang, a bull, a zebra and an antelope, while the one who was being reviled was a little goat that looked completely harmless. They were shouting a lot. From their loud conversation, it was deducible that the goat's son had tried to leave that atrocious organization, and they, being the brave mammals they were, were threatening his mother to avoid that._

 _No one did anything, of course. This had nothing to do with them, why would anyone intervene? They all continued drinking, taking drugs or whatever they were doing that wasn't looking in the wrong direction. I wish my father had done the same._

 _He was a compassionate and gentle mammal. It took a lot to avoid him from standing up and interfering. Finally, those monsters left, dragging the goat with them. I knew it broke my father's heart not being able to help, but I had to protect him. Maybe I was selfish, but… He was the only one that I had left. The people in the bar returned to their chatting again when the front door was closed again, and my father and me started to get back to the hotel, walking, since we were near it. I was already forgetting what had happened in the bar. I wish my father had done the same._

 _We passed by a narrow alley, three or four blocks further away, and both of us heard them: screams. I could see my father's fur bristling, his eyes narrowing. He let go of my hand and I ran after him, knowing he was going to do something crazy._

 _I saw that damned goat in the alley, being beaten up by the gang members. If I had gone armed, I could have shot all those assholes, and they would have never—!_

Anna started to hyperventilate. Nick quickly went to her, worried, but she raised a paw.

"Sorry, it is just, so, so painful to remember."

The fox returned to his seat, still concerned.

"You don't have to—," he started to say before getting cut short.

"But I want to, Nicholas. I just get angry when I talk about those pieces of shit," she caught her breath. "Well, where were we?"

 _Those three preys laughed when my father shouted at them to stop. Then that fucking bull hit him and knocked him down, and they all started to kick him, the goat laying on the ground, looking at the mammal who saved her with indifference. I commenced crying, and they just laughed._

 _The zebra and the antelope approached me, amused. I was so scared, and I could only sob while they got closer and closer to me. They grabbed my arms. They said they were going to have fun with me and my father, with these who dared to meddle in their matters, who thought they could do anything without being punished just because they were preds. The zebra drew a clasp knife._

" _Just like your fangs, m'lady," he licked the blade with a devious smile, "which one do you think is sharper?"_

 _He hit my belly and I lost my breath. When I felt the pain in my stomach, the antelope pinned me against. That zebra put his weapon right next to my neck and the point penetrated my flesh. However, their laugh just lasted for a second this time._

 _The next thing I saw was a golden brown blur that pounced on that zebra._

 _Somehow, my father had managed to get rid of the bull, whose chest showed the beautiful, deep marks an angry lion's claws can leave in the skin. His face was badly injured as well, and I later found out that he lost his left eye. Nevertheless, it is unquestionable that the zebra got the worst of it. My father, that dumb lovingly mammal, bit his head off and mauled him savagely. He was out of his mind._

 _Blood was dripping from his mandible, pieces of flesh and fur hanging from his teeth. When he came to his senses, he threw up._

 _When the police arrived, they found two gangbangers scared to death in a corner of the alley, an old goat who was barely able to breathe, a lioness crying, a corpse and my father, shocked and unconscious due to the beating and the events after it, surrounded by viscera and blood. Three days after, my father died at the hospital because of an internal hemorrhaging. They weren't able to save his life, he didn't even wake up from that dirty bed and I never told him how brave he was, how much I loved him. I wasn't able to say goodbye to the only thing I had left in this world._

 _And he couldn't attend his own trial, a trial he would have lost._

 _They blamed my father! Those bastards said he was the attacker. That they, inoffensive prey as they were, just tried to defend themselves! And that vile, degenerate scum of a goat… She supported them! She lied and stated that she was assaulted by `a mad predator' and those preys tried to avoid that he mauled her!_

 _I spent weeks seeing them lie. Seeing how they were branded as heroes, as symbols for the anti-predator movement. I saw alleged professional sociologists and celebrities condemning speciesist violence against prey and organizing rallies to honor that fucking zebra. He became a martyr! I had to go under the radar, since some of this fake pacifists were threatening me. Meanwhile, my father was considered a murderer, a model of the predator oppression, an icon that meant that everyone with fangs or claws was a potential genocide._

 _The bull, the goat, the antelope… All of them are dead now._ _If the world is only going to see a predator as violent and dangerous, there is no point trying to be anything else._

Nick's gesture twisted on his face, recognizing his own words, almost the same. Anna didn't notice it.

 _So I gave them that. After years, I got my revenge in the shape of a knife into their skull. My father was avenged._

The fox was worried now. How was it possible that a sweet and caring animal as Anna cold-bloodedly killed three—or even more—prey mammals? The lioness saw his expression this time, but misunderstood it.

 _Oh, of course, you must be wondering how I was able to do that, being totally alone. I had to reinvent the hotel business model. As I received the support of a pro-predator gang when the rest of the world was against me, I offered them refuge so they had somewhere to send their members when they had to hide. After that, I opened up to the rest of the criminal predator groups and, finally, to every predator in need of a place to disappear, paying as much as they were able to, helping in the bar or cleaning if not. Gangs pay me so their mammals can stay here and enjoy some extra amenities, so I have a good amount of income. Thanks to that, no prey has gone through the hotel's front door for twenty three years._

 _I lived like that for years, only worrying about if myself and the hotel, completely disconnected from the outside world, so I didn't witness how this city tried to forget the past, forcing predators to take a step back so small prey weaklings were able to feel safe and powerful. They have repressed us, Nicholas, from the proud kings of the savannah to the lethal hunters in the jungle or the feared rulers of the tundra. And what have we become? We build their houses, we open their doors and we have to wish them a nice day, because if not, they would claim abuse and you will be branded as speciesist! If only we could live equal and peacefully, I would fight for that. But no. They came from an inferior position, and didn't try to make a better world, they just wanted to take the power._

 _Slaves do not dream of freedom, but of becoming masters. It is sad, it is devastating, but foremost, it is true. So we can accept our place as slaves or we can fight back._

 _And, two years ago, I made my decision._

 _I remember it clearly: it was four o'clock in the morning. I was reading, as I use to do when I am waiting for guest at the reception desk. It was raining outside, and quite strongly. It had been a really weird week, with sunny and rainy days taking turns. I was alone at that time, since John, the badger that was working as barmammal in those days was already in his room. During the day, another worker takes my place at the reception desk, but at night, it is mine, since the most interesting animals check in at night. And the most dangerous ones too._

 _I was there, relaxing a bit, when the door suddenly opened. Frederik entered the building then, breathing heavily and carrying Mr. W over his shoulder, and looked around, scanning the room to make sure the place was safe. He was not the first one who did that, and he wasn't the last, so it stopped being funny a long time ago. Frederik seemed fine, but Mr. W was wounded, I could see blood on a first-aid bandage, which meant that they had to pay and I wouldn't accept their help as payment, since there was the possibility of a corpse in my hotel, and its cleaning would have been troublesome. Still, they were predators, they needed my help and I am no monster._

 _Frederik paid and left a generous tip, enough to cover their stay for weeks, but of course, I posed no questions and took them to their room. When they closed their door, I didn't move. It was something I have never done, eavesdropping on a guest, but that time… I had a weird feeling about them, so I remained there, listening._

" _This place is safe, but we need a doctor," Frederik said, his voice weak, "then I will start looking for a job in the group that tiger talked us about. We have enough money for now, but after a couple of months maybe—"_

 _Mr. W interrupted him. He spoke slowly, his words vanishing sometimes just to be replaced by coughing fits._

" _Thank you… Frederik… But I am not sure if… I am going to make… it."_

 _Frederik hastened to deny that last sentence, assuring him that everything would turn out okay. I can guarantee you Nicholas, that I have never seen him express any emotion but boredom except for that time. He was on the verge of tears, and I am sure that, when you are speaking about Frederik, it is something to consider._

 _But Mr. W continued talking. He was the one dying on a bed, in a place full of criminals, and he was still trying to comfort his friend. I admired him. He started speaking about his goals and everything he left behind. I was enchanted. There was something about him, about his voice and words that made me want to help, to join them. He said what he desired to do with such a confidence that I was, and I am, completely sure that he was able to accomplish everything he wanted. And he voiced my dreams. At that moment, that mammal was for me a messiah._

 _Of course, I was surprised and gasped, so the following thing I knew was that I had Frederik on me, pinning me down, my face against the floor and a gun aiming to my head. He always had an acute hearing._

" _What are you doing here!?" he shouted._

 _I was afraid to die there. Frederik probably thought that I was following them, that I wanted to denounce them. At the very least, I could be just a busybody, so my words caught him off guard._

" _I want to help you."_

 _I still don't know how my words left my mouth without fear. After all, I was at one step to the grave. But when I saw his expression, I knew I had won. He did something I probably won't see again: he doubted. I know he has trained you, so you had spent some time with him. And, as he taught you how to fight, you two must become a little bit closer. That's how he makes friends, even if he denies it, fighting. It is all he knows._

 _Anyway, I am sure that you have never seen him doubt. He works masked, so if he does doubt, not many animals are able to confirm it, but it is clear that he is not an unsure mammal. And well, I am not a skilled negotiator, but I had him boxed in right from the start, and he knew that. I really wanted to help, but Frederik couldn't know that, so he had two options. He could kill me and flee, which would result in an almost sure death for Mr. W, or he could let me in and actually help them. It is obvious which his decision was._

 _His wounds were severe, so much and so many that I was surprised that he was still alive. I knew someone who could save him. You don't work so much time on the dark side of the society without making some associates who owe you favors, right, Nicholas? One of them was a surgeon at the Zootopia Central Hospital, so he was a good doctor, a truly good one._

 _Mr. W recovered, slowly and painfully, but he did. I spent most of my free time talking to him, learning from him, which reassured me in helping him to make his dream come true. He wanted to take off the mask society had put on itself, trying to hide how prey and predator are meant to fight. Even when I know it is stupid, I want to get back at them. I want to punish, to bring justice, to make them pay for all the pain they caused, but not Mr. W. He did not desire to create chaos nor gratuitous violence, just uncover the truth. Tell me Nicholas, if faced with the same question that you and I answered, what do you think animals would say? Do predators and prey prefer to live a lie that everyone seems to ignore or a painful truth? That's the reason why they need us, Nicholas. To make them see their mistakes, even if they don't want to; to show everyone that you cannot repress the true nature, the instinct._

 _That's what we are going to do, what we always wanted to do, but we didn't know how. We created a web. We prospered, saving money and resources, but still, we needed something, a catalyst. Even when our group was small, our contacts were numerous, but our true purpose was a mystery for everyone but me and other three people. But we needed a way to make our goals tangible, and it remained as a question mark for us._

 _Until you appeared._

 _Nighthowlers opened up a new option for us. Suddenly, we had a way and someone in to help us put our paws on it. Mr. W… He was so happy when he saw how you arrested that damned sheep and, at the same time, gave him the key to a new world. Even Frederik smiled once. You gave us all, Nicholas._

 _Of course, we could have taken the information without you, but it had to be you. You know how much he loves drama and theatricality, and the fact that it was a fox, the species considered as the most dishonest, the one that showed everyone the truth of this rotten world was just perfect._

 _And you did it. You took that chance, and we will make sure that you are always remembered for that as a liberator._

 _A hero._

* * *

Anna stayed immobile, her paws on her lap, looking at Nick with shiny eyes, amazed, as if a god had descended from the heavens bringing a good tiding. Nick left his cup on the desk, not knowing what to say.

"Anna, I…" he had a knot in his throat, "I am sorry about your father."

Her smiled became sorrowful. After some seconds, she stood up and embraced him lovingly, taking him off guard.

"Everything is okay. It is the reason because I am who I am. I know every one of you because of that. I fight because of that," the lioness caressed the fur on his head softly, just like his mother did when he was a child, a lifetime ago. The knot inside him got bigger.

They hugged each other, in silence. She, feeling the memories she had just brought back crawling on her back, harming her, but also lighter than ever. He, overwhelmed by her maternal presence, thinking about that old vixen, giving him a scout uniform, begging him in desperation to not leave her alone when he left the hose to never come back. Thinking about her, dying alone in a hospital bed dying of a lung cancer, death he could not mourn until six months later when he found out.

Neither of them let the other one see their tears.

* * *

 _ **Judy**_

The hospital room was in silence. Every silence is different for the rest, and each of them shows different things, depending of the situation. The expectant silence at an awards ceremony, the calm silence after a tiring night, the happy silence shared between a couple when their gazes meet. The one that is present next to a sickbed is, however, special. It isn't a lonesome silence, but the combination of a huge amount of them, separated by the beeping of a machine. It is terrifying and heavy, to think that any beep can be the last one.

That was the silence that surrounded Fangmeyer's room. His chest rose and fell uninterruptedly; and that was precisely what Judy was fearing, that from one second to the next, her partner stopped being a living being to become a mere dead husk of a mammal, whose lungs only moved thanks to a breathing machine.

And the worst of all was that he was there because of Nick.

She couldn't understand it. She still remembered the next day to the first time the wolf and the fox decided to hang out together, Nick's euphoric smile telling her how he made a friend. His serious gesture, days later, confiding her that, even when the wolf was as shameless and joker as him, hid equally or even more then the fox about his past. Maybe that was the reason they got along so quickly, because both of them tried to avoid the rest getting to them. Maybe that was the reason, Judy didn't know, Fangmeyer started to treat her differently when he noticed how much she meant for Nick.

Sitting next to the fallen wolf, she had waited for the rest of the visitors to leave, unable to look at them in the eye. Although it was Nick the one who betrayed the rest, she was the one who opened the doors of the ZPD for him, and guilt consumed her. She held back the tears, looking at the comatose wolf. There: she made a promise: Nick's mistakes would be her mistakes too. She had to stop him, she had to save everybody, not allowing him to hurt someone else.

From now on, she would not doubt. She would not feel.

Her duty was to elucidate Nick's acts. To capture him and bring him to the justice. And, until then, she had to keep her mind away from her heart. His words, she taking ownership of them now, reverberated inside her head while she left the room:

" _I am doing all of this for you."_

* * *

 **Well, here we are again. This summer is killing me, it seems like I can't get anything done. I won't stop writing until I end this story, tho.**

 **Thanks so much for reading! I finally decided that Fangmeyer is going to be somewhat important just as an emotional resource, so he will be given a background. However this doesn't mean that he is going to have weight on the story, since, as you can see, Nick is going to be the axis of the events. Nothing else for now, stay tuned and enjoy the summer!**


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